Model-Based Analysis of the Limiting Mechanisms in the Gas-Phase Oxidation of HCl Employing an Oxygen Depolarized Cathode

Bechtel, Simon; Vidaković-Koch, Tanja; Weber, Adam Z.; Sundmacher, Kai

doi:10.1149/1945-7111/ab6449

Title: Model-Based Analysis of the Limiting Mechanisms in the Gas-Phase Oxidation of HCl Employing an Oxygen Depolarized Cathode

Journal Article · 13 January 2020 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society (Online)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ab6449 · OSTI ID:1582502

Bechtel, Simon ^[1]; Vidaković-Koch, Tanja ^[1]; Weber, Adam Z. ^[2]; Sundmacher, Kai ^[3]

Max Planck Inst. for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg (Germany)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Max Planck Inst. for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg (Germany); Otto von Guericke Univ. Magdeburg (Germany)

The electrochemical oxidation of HCl to Cl₂ plays an important role in the production of polycarbonates and polyurethanes. Recently, the gas-phase oxidation of HCl proved to be significantly more efficient than the current state-of-the-art process based on the oxidation of hydrochloric acid. In experimental investigations of this gas-phase reactor, a limiting current can be observed that is so far not understood but impedes the overall reactor performance. In the present work, a nonisothermal multiphase agglomerate model is developed to investigate the underlying reasons for this limiting behavior in more detail. It is shown that the thermal management of the cell plays a significant role and that minor changes to its thermal resistance lead to the limiting behavior being caused by either flooding of the cathode or dehydration of the membrane and anode. An optimization of operational and structural parameters of the cell based on these insights leads to an increase in the limiting current by more than 90%. Interestingly, under these conditions a third phenomenon, the rate determining Tafel step in the microkinetic reaction mechanism of the HCl oxidation, limits the overall reactor performance. These insights harbor the potential for enormous energetic savings in this industrially highly relevant process.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1582502

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1760201

Journal Information:: Journal of the Electrochemical Society (Online), Vol. 167, Issue 1; ISSN 1945-7111

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 2 works

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